Mohamed Salah makes history as he named FWA Footballer of the Year

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has been voted Footballer of the Year for season 2017/2018 by Football Writers’ Association.

Salah is on course to end the Premier League season being the top scorer as he currently stands at 31 goals, four goals ahead of Tottenham forward Harry Kane with two games to spare. He is also on the verge of reaching the Champions League final with Liverpool, who hold a 5-2 advantage over Roma ahead of the semifinal second leg.

The Liverpool winger edged out Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne with a slight advantage in the votes for the accolade, with the two players gaining more than 90 percent of the votes by the FWA members, while Harry Kane came third behind them.

The 25-year-old winger made history with that achievement as he became the first African player in history to be voted for this individual prize and the third Liverpool player after Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez to claim it during the Premier League era.

“Right up to the last week or so we thought it might happen again, so strong was the support for Kevin de Bruyne, but Mo Salah’s relentless match-winning form, exemplified by his two great goals against Roma, seems to have swung the vote by a very narrow margin,” FWA chairman Patrick Barclay told footballwriters.co.uk.

“It’s been the tightest call since 1968/69, when there was a dead heat between Tony Book of Manchester City and Derby’s Dave Mackay.”

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“What a race it has been between two players who, in a relatively short time, have reached genuine world class. But Mo Salah is the worthiest of winners. He is also the first African to receive the award and we congratulate him on a magnificent season.”

The Egypt international will be presented with his trophy at the 2018 FWA Footballer of the Year dinner, to be held at the Landmark Hotel in London on May 10, per FWA website.